Walking in Members' Shoes

‘Everything we do or say is for the betterment of our members.’

Machel Montano, a soca singer and songwriter, gives audiences high energy and fast-paced performances. That’s the type of energy Nancy Whittaker brings to her job as manager of member services and compliance for Cayman Islands Civil Service Cooperative Credit Union.

Whittaker uses it to motivate her team and provide members with services they need. Her dedication is evident in her 12 years with the organization, where she started as a member service representative. Thelma Badal, assistant manager, member services and compliance, believes Whittaker will be a CEO down the road.

But for now, Whittaker says her main goal is to assist members in meeting their financial goals. As a team leader, she empowers her staff to learn new ways to reach out to members and discover their needs. This involves giving staff the tools to serve members and to understand the credit union’s philosophy: Members helping members reach their financial goals.

“I’m a member of the credit union,” Whittaker explains. “Staff have to stay focused on what the credit union is about. We offer verything a retail bank offers, but we’re completely different. Everything we do or say is for the betterment of members.

“Staff place themselves in our members’ shoes,” she says. “They understand members’ needs first. For example, a member might want a short-term loan that would be difficult to repay. Instead, our staff might offer a longterm loan with more affordable monthly payments. We don’t want to just say no and push a member out the door. We’ll find a way to achieve our members’ financial goals and dreams.”

Members know Whittaker’s dedication, so they seek her out when they need help. She loves the interactions, which is critical to learning how to meet their financial goals.

“Sometimes you can learn what our members need just from a casual conversation,” Whittaker explains.“By seeing a member walking to work every day, we’ll go the extra mile to assist that member with a car loan.”

Those are the moments Whittaker finds personally rewarding. “It’s always nice to hear a member say we helped them purchase their first home, first piece of property, or first vehicle. We have a great group of members.”